West Yorkshire Organic Group

Potato Day	2008
was held on Saturday 23rd February at Shipley College   Potato expert and grower, Alan Romans, was present to answer questions.   Thanks to all who came and bought.
Report in the local paper - Telegraph and Argus Hundreds of potato fans flocked to Saltaire for the West Yorkshire Organic Group's Potato Day. No less than 45 different varieties of potato were on sale during the event at the village's Exhibition Hall. People had travelled from as far afield as Scotland to be at the event, which is now in its ninth year. More than 50 people queued outside on Saturday morning, waiting for the doors to open at 10am. The popularity of the event provided further evidence to back up the findings of a new study into Yorkshire's eating habits. Research carried out by YouGov on behalf of Pontefract-based Netto Foodstores shows that one in five people in Yorkshire regard the potato as their favourite vegetable.	Broccoli was the region's second favourite vegetable with the parsnip third. John Dallas, one of the main organisers of West Yorkshire Organic Group's Potato Day, said he was very pleased, but not surprised, by the results of the survey. He said potatoes were full of goodness and were almost a full meal on their own. He said: "This is our ninth year and we had 45 different varieties for sale. There are between five and ten thousand different varieties grown around the world. "The rush of people wanting to get into the hall at the start of the event was remarkable and shows how popular this event is. "The idea is to try to sell relatively locally-grown potatoes to people who want to grow their own vegetables. When you use seed potatoes to grow your own veg, you can ultimately control your own diet without relying on others." Potato grower Alan Romans, who had travelled from the East Coast of Scotland to be at the event, said he first got involved in Potato Day as a supplier of seed potatoes. He said: "You have got tremendous heritage of gardening and allotmenteering in this area. The supply of seed potatoes a few years ago was very limited and the change has been led by public demand and groups like West Yorkshire Organic Society, which had the energy to source these potatoes from the growers. Simon Hughes, Netto's head of fresh produce, who was involved in the study into eating habits, said: "It's was no surprise to us that the potato was so popular in Yorkshire. "With simple cooking knowledge the potato will allow you to create roasts, mash, wedges, soups, pies, bakes, salads, scallops, gnocchi, crisps, jackets and, of course, the classic British chunky chip - perfect for that traditional Yorkshire dish of fish and chips. "It's such a versatile vegetable - you could say it's a national institution."
see pictures of Potato Day	Did you know the UN is making 2008 the year of the potato

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